With the year winding down, we at The Most Radicalist wanted to take this opportunity to look back on the wonderful year of music we’ve just had with a ‘Best Of’ list. We asked our writers to pick out their top emerging artists of the last 12 months and needless to say we were presented with both an exceptional and deliciously eclectic group of artists.

We’ll be unveiling the full list over the course of the next few days so stay tuned!

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JOCKSTRAP



Centred around the writing duo of Georgia Ellery and Taylor Skye, London’s Jockstrap present an effortless collision between classical skill and up-to-date experimentalism. With their stunning mini-album Love is the Key to the City, receiving rave reviews from the attuned ears of Dazed and The Quietus, Jockstrap’s live show is equally enchanting. Enlisting additional members to replicate the whimsical textures of their recordings, the dynamic ensemble have already been asked to perform at prestigious events including Iceland Airwaves and Pitchfork Paris as well as selling out a number of intimate headline dates. Furthermore, having collaborated with enigmatic producer/songwriter Dean Blunt on his recently released Soul on Fire EP, which also features contributions from the likes of A$AP Rocky and Mica Levi, we think Jockstrap are just getting warmed up. -Holly Mullineaux



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BAD WITH PHONES



Earlier in the year, Bad With Phones made his debut with ‘Needles’, an organic number led by a unique vocal resonating a past relationship that BWP mastermind Manny Folorunso personally experienced. The hacker, songwriter, producer, dog enthusiast and food critic also stars in the captivating one-shot video for ‘Needles’, which is well and truly worth watching until the end - big twist alert. As much as the project explores the mind of the Berlin-based musician, Bad With Phones is also a collaborative project, as Folorunso explains when talking about debut EP, Bang Bang Chicken: "Bang Bang Chicken is what happens when the brains down at BWP HQ collide. They sit down in the boardroom and decide what’s next - that’s when they’re not making pina coladas for everyone in the office, of course.” Our favourite track from the EP is 'Kiss The Matter', a pulsating electronic commentary which returns to a recurring theme of disconnection, especially in intimate relationships, and once again exposes BWP’s experimental core. Fun fact: Manny Folorunso was previously one-half of London-based duo Aosoon. -Hannah Thacker



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FLOHIO



2018 was a hell of a year for South London rapper Flohio (born Funmi Ohiosumah). This Bermondsey-native won the hearts and minds of audiences all over the continent with her high-octane rhymes and industrial beats; she was hand-picked by Naomi Campbell for Vogue as one of the “Ten Women Changing Our Future”; having released the remarkable Wild Yout EP she went on to collaborate with such electronic heavyweights as Clams Casino and Modeselektor; but more significant than all of this, Ohiosumah demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that she’s one of the most extraordinary and powerful voices, not only in grime, but in the wider musical landscape. We were particularly enthralled by the relentless energy and punchy flow of confrontational singles '10 More Rounds’ and ‘Wild Yout’, but who knows what this rising talent has planned next. We’re just happy to be on the ride. –Karl Jawara



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BELL TOWERS

 

First turning our heads with their exceptional Kraftwerk-esque ‘Funky Silver Hot Pants’ when writing this piece about Stamp The Wax’s 2018 Advent Calendar, it seems Bell Towers have had an impressive year as a whole. From well-received releases flooding in (as well as an interesting interjection from a jealous rival supposedly buying dislikes on his tracks), to various shows around his home town of Berlin, even the London Boiler Room, and an upcoming EP set to drop in January 2019, Bell Towers has been busy this year. -Dan Peeke



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-Check in tomorrow for four more picks from TMR's Top 20 of 2018.